The invention relates to an arrangement for accommodating passengers, which arrangement comprises at least two seats that can be adjusted between a sitting position and a position for lying down. The invention further relates to a vehicle for transporting passengers.
In recent times the internationalisation of the economy, trade and tourism has resulted in a steady increase in traffic. Not only the number of travelling passengers but also the average distance of travel has continually increased. No change to this trend is envisaged so that an ongoing increase in traffic is expected for the future.
In order to make it possible to transport passengers as economically as possible, various arrangements for accommodating passengers have been developed for the different means of transport, with which arrangements as many passengers as possible can be transported within a limited space. Such arrangements are also known as passenger compartments. However, it should be ensured that travelling, in particular long-distance travelling, does not become too uncomfortable for passengers in order to prevent travel-related exhaustion. The two requirements of high passenger density on the one hand and good travel comfort on the other hand present two competing requirements that are in a natural state of tension. To ease this state of tension it is known to offer two different passenger classes that provide very considerable differences both in travel comfort and in the price of travel. In this way passengers have the choice of selecting between economical travel with little travel comfort, and expensive travel with excellent travel comfort.
In aircraft, the so-called economy class provides the opportunity to incline the backrest backwards by approximately 30 degrees. However, with a seat pitch of as little as 762 mm it is, as a rule, not possible for passengers to stretch their legs. Some airlines offer a so-called “premium economy class”, which provides at least a footrest and an improved headrest. However, “premium economy class”requires approximately 20% more space than normal economy class. When compared to economy class, business class and first class with a seat pitch of up to 2260 mm provides a lot of space so that here too there is sufficient leg room for passengers to put their feet up. However, first class and business class require too much space for travel to be able to be offered at a financially attractive price.
In the case of ferries, there are usually also several passenger classes. The better classes provide normal beds that require a correspondingly large space. In the lesser classes, often comparatively uncomfortable couchettes are installed that require little space when compared to conventional beds.
In the case of boats and yachts there are normal beds that are arranged so as to be interlocked. Likewise, beds are used whose shapes match the shape of the boat or yacht. For example, there are beds in a V-shape which are located at the bow of the boat or yacht.
In the case of buses a concept is known in which in a passenger seat, below the seat area that can be slid forward, there is a further bench under said seat area. This results in a surface for lying on, together with a further seat row. At the top the backrest is rotatably held on an arm so that said backrest can be moved to a horizontal position and, together with the backrests of the other seat rows, opens a second surface for lying on. This concept is associated with a disadvantage in that all the passengers on a seat bench have to assume a position lying down as soon as one passenger wishes to lie down to sleep.